


Holiday

by FriendofYggdrasil



Category: RWBY
Genre: Bumbleby - Freeform, F/F, Fluff, Gen, Humor, IWNS universe, Multi, Post-Volume 1 (RWBY), White Rose - Freeform, canonish, in between semesters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-16
Updated: 2019-05-16
Packaged: 2020-03-06 12:46:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18851362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FriendofYggdrasil/pseuds/FriendofYggdrasil
Summary: Weiss goes home with Ruby and Yang for winter break.





	1. Chapter 1

Author's Notes: Just a fun little story, set after Volume 1. It's in the IWNS universe.

Holiday

 

Weiss stepped primly from the airship, a single carry-on bag dangling from her hand. The crowds of other passengers clustered together as they disembarked, practically shoulder to shoulder as they rushed for the platform. Waiting family members called out names as they spotted their loved ones; Weiss didn't bother searching for anyone she knew, a habit born of years of traveling on her own.

Patch looked…quaint. The sky ferry that connected from Vale to Patch ran once a day, leaving in the morning and arriving by the afternoon. The island rose out of the water like a bowl, lichen covered cliffs cradling a temperate woodland with its own hills and valleys.

What she could see of the actual town was fairly low tech compared to the glistening Kingdom across the waters. As Weiss glanced at her scroll, she noted with dim surprise that she actually had signal. She sighed, wondering how she was going to get to the house where she would be spending her vacation.

There was an information booth nearby, manned by a bored looking middle aged man reading a local paper. Weiss strode up to him, head up as she tried to not look too lost. The attendant glanced up slowly from his paper, a bushy brow raising in surprise.

"Hello," Weiss said coolly. "I was wondering where the taxis were located?"

The attendant blinked, humming to himself.

"Well we don't got any dear," he said, setting the paper down. "You, ah, visiting family?"

Weiss nearly told him it wasn't his business, but held her tongue. She was trying to be kinder to people in service jobs, after Yang and Ruby had harassed her about the tone she used with restaurant servers.

"I'm…not exactly. I'm on break from Beacon, my partner's family lives here," Weiss said. "If you don't have taxis, then precisely how do people get around?"

"Mmm. Well. The island has laws about big cars, see; Patch wasn't built with them in mind, the streets are too cramped. Most folks ride bikes, or mopeds. Horses. That sort of thing."

Weiss could feel her temple beginning to throb; she was not riding a bloody bicycle out into the sticks.

"I see," she said, feeling extremely out of place.

"Bit cold for that right now," he continued, looking up at the sky. "Gonna snow for sure."

This fine individual was certainly useless; perhaps his job as an information assistant was to merely point out the obvious?

The roar of a familiar engine caught her attention; Weiss glanced up, spotting a black and yellow motorcycle as it cornered a cramped, cobblestone street and squealed towards her. Weiss shook her head, ponytail whipping over her shoulder as she turned from the attendant.

Yang Xiao Long's golden mane trailed her like a comet, the sunny bruiser braking a few feet away and yanking her helmet off; Yang's violet eyes met hers as she grinned widely, catching the attention of several hapless souls walking by. Weiss held her hands up impetuously.

"Well! I'm here!" said Weiss.

Yang laughed, leaping from the bike and immediately scooping her up into a bear hug; Yang had absolutely no compunctions about personal space, freely showering friends and family with open affection. It was a trait that Weiss was still struggling to get used to.

"Hahaha! I didn't actually think you'd come!" Yang cheered. "Ruby's going to be so stoked!"

Weiss almost hadn't. However, it was either spend her break with her teammates or stalk about an empty Beacon for two weeks; going home wasn't exactly an option, nor one that she had even considered.

"Put me down you oaf, honestly," Weiss said automatically, though a small smile was pulling at her lips. "I thought I was going to have to rent a bicycle and ride out to your house."

"I wish you had, now," Yang chuckled, handing Weiss her extra helmet. "That would have been great to see."

Weiss stared at the offending article as Yang waited expectantly; it had a red Mohawk on it, and was covered in rose stenciling, clearly belonging to Ruby. As gracefully as she could, Weiss snugged the helmet down over her head, glaring daggers at a snickering Yang.

"You are an honest buffoon sometimes, I hope you know that," Weiss sniffed.

"Whaaaa? No way, I'm the coolest," Yang smiled. "You look awesome, by the way. You should always wear that from now on."

Weiss rolled her eyes, shouldering her carry-on; at least no one she knew would see her like this. She felt like an extra in one of those apocalypse movies Ruby loved so much, decked out like barbarians and screeching around on dilapidated bikes. Yang glanced around curiously, scratching her head.

"Huh. You really DID bring only one bag. Wow."

"You said to only bring one, so I did. And if you're done making fun of me," Weiss huffed. "I would like to _possibly_ get a move on, sometime before break ends."

Yang gave her a shit eating grin, before straddling her bike and revving the engine.

"Well then hop on! Oh, make sure you hang on tight, kay? I uh, can go a little fast. But since you're in such a hurry," Yang shrugged mischievously. "I'm sure you won't mind."

Weiss did her best to climb up and not completely embarrass herself, wearing her bag like a back-pack and wrapping her arms around Yang; the cold had never bothered Weiss, or perhaps she was simply accustomed to it. However, Yang was like a heater, even through her clothes; the stark difference in temperature actually made her notice how chilly the air was to begin with.

"Is Blake here too?" asked Weiss as the bike began to roll forward.

"She's gonna be here tomorrow, actually!" shouted Yang as the bike shot off down the street. Weiss tightened her grip, eyes widening as they banked suddenly. "Same with dad! It's just us and Uncle Qrow today!"

Weiss's reply went unheard as they screeched down a small street, weaving around obstacles and pedestrians alike. Weiss had never ridden a motorcycle in her life, and for good reason. However, as they finally reached the open dirt road leading from the town, she could grudgingly appreciate that it was kind of fun. A lot of fun, actually.

Ruby and Yang's house was apparently a fifteen minute ride from Patch, off the main road at the end of its own little gravel driveway that was extremely bumpy; Weiss clung to her teammate as they swerved recklessly around potholes, skirting past wooden fencing and several other homes. A woman on horseback waved at them as they passed her, the horse nickering curiously at the yellow and black blur.

Finally, they reached the Xiao Long residence, rumbling up to the shed where Yang kept her precious ride. Yang cut the engine, smiling exuberantly as she pulled her helmet off and shook her hair free.

"Whoo! Cold rides are the best! The air is just so, ahhh, refreshing," she sighed happily, turning to look back at her. "You good, Weiss?"

"I'm…peachy," Weiss said, clambering off the bike.

She was glad she had chosen to wear a sweater, though pants wouldn't have been a bad idea either. The wind had certainly been crisp, but at least there weren't any bugs about; she wouldn't have taken well to having insects stuck all over her.

"Let's go inside and get warmed up, eh?" chuckled Yang, hopping off. "I'm kinda surprised Ruby hasn't already-"

"Weeeeiiiiisssss!"

Weiss's eyes widened a fraction before a red, rose scented blur slammed into her, wrapping her in a fervent hug. Weiss coughed in surprise.

"GAh-Ruby!" she protested, cheeks flushing.

"Ahhh I'm so happy to see you!" Ruby laughed, spinning her. Weiss met Yang's eyes, which were alive with humor.

"Ruby, it's been literally two days!"

"I know! That's a long time!"

The other girl finally set her down, rose petals drifting to the ground in her excitement; Ruby was beaming at her so sincerely that Weiss let any retort she could have given fall away. Her partner reached up, playing with the Mohawk on her helmet.

"Man, I love this thing – but hey! You're gonna stay with us the whole time right?!" she asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

Weiss pulled away from Ruby's death grip, dusting herself habitually before fixing her partner with a hesitant smile.

"Well, if it isn't an imposition, then I suppose-"

"It's not! It's not an impo-whatsit! Hey, c'mon inside, Uncle Qrow is cooking!" Ruby grabbed her hand eagerly, nearly dragging her into the house.

"Qrow's cooking, or Qrow's _cooking_?" Yang asked, making a drinking motion.

Ruby giggled, her hand warm in Weiss's as the trio trotted up the steps to the back-porch.

"He's drunk cooking, yea. But, it's perfect, because we made a blanket fort out of the living room-"

"Without me?!" protested Yang, bursting through the screen door. "Oh nice!"

Pausing slightly at the screen door, Weiss followed her jubilant teammates into their home. The Schnee manor had never truly felt like anyone lived in it; it was cold and still as a museum, with its inhabitants living in their own quarters, practically separate from one another. There had been weeks when Weiss hadn't even seen a member of her own family, besides Clyne and the other servants; even when they'd all been home.

This, however, is what she had always imagined as a child that a home would look like. The back porch led into the kitchen, which was alive with some genre of country or folk music and a somewhat scruffy looking man was belting along with the lyrics. The smell of sausage, hashbrowns and pancakes hung in the air, as the man expertly flipped pancakes. There were drawings on the refrigerator, which she suspected were Ruby's handiwork. The living room had been transformed into some sort of blanket, pillow castle.

"Uncle Qrow! This is my partner!" declared Ruby, dragging her along. Weiss suddenly felt very nervous, for reasons she couldn't really define; her back straightened automatically.

Qrow glanced back at her, grinning. His eyes were a dusty red.

"Welcome," he said, flipping another pancake. "Our house is your house, and all that jazz. Gotta spare bed made up for you upstairs."

"Oh! Um, thank you," Weiss said.

She wasn't sure what to say or do, feeling disconcerted. In Atlas, she would have curtsied to some pompous nobleman or woman, as their servants led her and her 'friend' away. However, curtsying was definitely a bit much for such a casual looking person. Perhaps she should shake his hand?

Yet Ruby had different plans.

"Oh yea, let me show you your room!" Ruby gasped, speeding away in a puff of petals.

She came back just as quickly, realizing that Weiss couldn't actually keep up with her. Yang had taken up in the living room, kicking her boots off carelessly in a corner as she searched for the remote under the blanket tent. Weiss trailed after Ruby, navigating the blanket fort and heading up the stairs.

"Mmm, I dunno Yang? Maybe I should make some bacon too-"

Ruby braked spinning rapidly to stick her head over the bannister, pointing dramatically at her smirking uncle.

"Don't you dare, mister!"

Yang's warm laughter filtered out from under the blanket contraption; she was beginning to see why the idea of the rope bunkbeds had come so naturally to these two.

"Well I dunno, Rubes, I know I would like some-"

"I will fight you! Bub! Ok, not really, but you know that's not ok!"

"Psh. Bring it half pint, you hit like a dandelion," Qrow laughed, clattering around in the kitchen.

Yang laughed again, the sound of the tv clicking on revealing she had found the remote. Weiss gave her partner an odd look as she stomped her foot childishly; Ruby met her eyes, grinning awkwardly.

"You must really not like bacon," Weiss observed as they continued up the stairs.

"It's ah…well, I do," Ruby whispered. "But, I can't eat it or I feel super duper guilty. And I try to make sure they don't eat it in the house."

Weiss blinked as they reached the top of the stairs; the wooden floors were bare, but well cared for. The hallway had a window overlooking the backyard and forest behind them; Weiss wondered at their seeming lack of anti-Grimm security. Were Grimm really that rare on Patch? Atlas was bristling with everything from anti-air turrets to random patrols; nearly every corner had some form of emergency weaponry available, even more common than the coffee shops.

"Why does bacon make you feel guilty?" Weiss scoffed a little. Bacon was terrible for you, yes, but it was delicious.

Ruby spun around, beaming at her. Weiss was growing concerned.

"Well you see! Um, how do you feel about pets?"

"Pets?"

"Ya know! Dogs, kitties, orangutans-"

"You're not getting an orangutan!" shouted Yang from below.

"I will if I want to!" Ruby replied, still smiling. "Someday. But yea, do you like animals?"

Weiss frowned thoughtfully.

"We didn't really have any pets when we were children, but, I always wanted a dog."

She had pined for a pup of her own, actually; but it wasn't meant to be.

"Oh! Well we have a dog! His names Zwei, but he's with dad right now; they'll be back tomorrow," Ruby rocked on her heels. "But I have Bo!"

Weiss smiled, her hands clasped behind her back.

"And…Bo is?"

"A tiny piggy!"

Weiss hesitated; Ruby was clearly studying her reaction, eyes hopeful.

"A pig?"

"Yep! He's really cute, and super smart! He's house trained, he loves baths," Ruby was bouncing again, counting off Bo's good qualities.

Weiss had never seen a real pig in person. Her image was of a farm animal covered in mud, not exactly her idea of a cute pet. However, Ruby's face was lighting up as she talked about him; she didn't want to be a rude houseguest and disappoint her.

"Well he sounds interesting," Weiss said carefully.

"Yea! Wanna see him?!"

"I…suppose. Sure, why not?"

Ruby beamed.

…..

Bo blinked up at them from his playpen, which was really just a reclaimed closet with a child-safety gate in front of it. Ruby was leaning over the gate, talking excitedly to her and to Bo, sometimes in the same sentence. Previously, such nonstop chatter would have irritated her immensely. However, after their first semester together, Weiss had come to find the trait tolerable; and sometimes, even a little bit endearing.

"So we got him three years ago!" Ruby continued, climbing over the gate. Bo squealed, a friendly noise compared the sounds a Boarbatusk made, and butted against her. He wasn't actually very tiny at all, clearly weighing at least a hundred pounds and covered in wiry black hair.

"This guy told dad he was a 'teacup pig', and dad thought I'd be able to smuggle him into Signal to keep me company," Ruby sat down on the floor. Bo immediately took that as an invitation to roll over to try to get her to scratch his tummy. "But that was apparently a scam. Bobo's a good ole pot belly pig, so naturally, he got bigger."

Ruby scratched the pig's belly, who made happy noises at the treatment.

"Normally he has free reign of the house, but ah, I wasn't sure how you'd feel about that and wanted you to be comfy," Ruby continued easily, reaching out to grab a squeaky toy.

Weiss felt a flash of warmth at the casual consideration; her partner always did little things like that, for her and her teammates, and never asked for anything in return.

"Oh, you don't have to keep him locked up," Weiss said, crouching to get a better look. "I'm sure he's a perfect gentleman."

She wasn't sure of that at all, actually, but the words had fallen out before she could stop them. Bo chased after the squeaky toy that Ruby had tossed, bringing it back to her before grunting and tossing his nose. Ruby smiled at her warmly.

"Wanna pet him?"

"Ah," Weiss paused.

It would certainly be something she'd never have done before, and if Winter could see her now, she would have an absolute conniption at the idea; however, Weiss could see that this pig did not meet her ideas of a filthy yard beast.

"…Ok, yes."

Carefully, Weiss climbed over the child-gate before kneeling primly next to Ruby. Her partner smiled encouragingly at her. Bo was holding the squeaky toy, which was shaped like a silly looking octopus. It was certainly a strange sight.

"Hello, Bo," Weiss said carefully. "Can I pet you?"

Ruby giggled at her, and Weiss shot her a look; she figured one should ask. Bo grunted happily. Cautiously, Weiss reached out and touched the top of his head, scratching gently. Bo squeaked his toy in response, closing his eyes calmly. After a moment, he flopped over between them, offering his tummy for pats; Weiss smiled as Ruby laughed happily.

"Well aren't you a cutie," Weiss said, raising the pitch of her voice. Bo snorted in agreement.

"Aww he likes youuuu," Ruby said, scratching his head. "I love animals, they're the best people."

Weiss couldn't necessarily disagree with that statement.

"When I was younger, Winter and I would go riding," Weiss said after a moment. "My father signed us up for lessons, wanting us to compete in dressage and the like. But I honestly just wanted to be around the horses."

Ruby turned to her, giving Weiss her full attention; it was strange, that someone so hyper could be so capable of listening deeply to others. It was a trait she'd come to truly appreciate in her partner.

"There was this one stallion named Shadow," she continued, petting the happy pig. "He was gorgeous, and extremely sweet for a stallion. You could walk up to him the field and he'd just let you hug him."

Weiss smiled sincerely at the memory. She had loved that animal.

"He was so smart too, he knew what you wanted before you even directed him to do something. And when we rode he flew, like riding the wind."

Ruby grinned, leaning back on her hands.

"That's so cool. I've never ridden a horse."

"It's wonderful."

They sat like that for a time, until Yang's voice startled them out of their reverie.

"Gotta say, I never expected to see you petting Bo," laughed Yang, looking down at them from the hallway.

Weiss huffed, tossing her hair.

"I can be adventurous. You aren't the only one."

Yang laughed as Ruby stuck her tongue out at her.

"Foods ready, if you guys are hungry," Yang said, jerking her thumb. "Uncle Qrow picked out some good movies to watch."

"Ooh! I wanted to pick something!" exclaimed Ruby, climbing to her feet. She helped Weiss to her feet, before taking the gate down. "Be free, piggy!"

Bo snorted, shaking his head and following them calmly out the door. Ruby showed Weiss where she would be staying, a cozy little room with quilt blankets and a window of its own. Weiss laid her overnight bag on the bed, hesitating, before heading downstairs to join her teammates.


	2. Chapter 2

Holiday

Chapter 2

Weiss sat with her hands folded in her lap, leaning against the sofa cushions that had been removed from their proper places and scattered about the blanket fortress; Ruby and her uncle were enthusiastically going through their movie collection, determined to find something with enough guns and ridiculous fight scenes. Yang was devouring a stack of pancakes as if she had never eaten before in her life. Compared to the silent and often solitary meals Weiss had had at the Schnee manor, it was practically surreal.

"Nah, nah, see squirt – the rating for this one is ah, too vulgar. Pick something else," drawled Qrow, tossing the movie out of Ruby's reach.

"But it has light canons and space robots-"

"But mostly lots of naked people doing naked things, we aren't watching it. This is like porn with a plot. No."

Weiss blushed at the casual mention of such things, while Yang almost choked on her pancakes, pounding her chest.

"Yea, veto Ruby. Sorry."

Ruby grumbled.

"I just wanna see robots, man, we can skip all that junk," Ruby grumbled before glancing at her. "Weiss! What would you like to watch?"

Weiss blinked.

"Do you have any musicals?" she asked, feeling skeptical.

Ruby hesitated before gasping and clapping her hands.

"We do! We have  _Fifty Minutes to Vacuo_!"

Yang laughed again, having nearly vacuumed down her lumberjack breakfast.

"Oh that's perfect," the blonde chuckled.

Qrow scratched his head, before shrugging.

"Eh, why not," he said, digging the movie out of the chaotic bin containing their collection.

"Oh? What's that?" asked Weiss.

"It's a musical comedy, about these two guys trying to rob a train!" Ruby explained. "It's like, a cult classic!"

Ruby had already changed into her pajamas, which was in fact a strawberry onesie; Weiss hadn't even realized they made adult sized onesies, but it didn't surprise her in the least that Ruby would have one.

The teammates got comfortable while Qrow dimmed the living room lights; so far, Weiss wasn't exactly sure what to make of their uncle. He seemed to be older than her sister, however he didn't have the same authoritarian manner about him that Weiss associated with adulthood. She also wasn't entirely sure what his occupation was, though something told her it wouldn't be what she expected.

Ruby scooted up next to her on the pillows, grinning excitedly as she nibbled at her dinner; she would probably be covered in crumbs by the time she was done, seemingly incapable of focusing on both eating and involving herself in the story of a movie. In their dorm room, Weiss almost had to trail after her partner with a dustpan when Ruby was trying to multitask and snack. Instead of being irritated by this, for once, she simply smiled a little and let herself watch the show.

The musical was certainly not something she and her family would have attended in a theater. However, that almost made it better for her personally; the singing was actually quite good, and the choreography matched the humorous tone of the story as the two men tried to go about robbing the train despite all their fumbling and lack of foresight. Despite being unrepentant vagabonds, she found herself cheering for them; considering the topic hit somewhat close to home, she could appreciate how well the actors played their parts to get an audience member biased against such things to empathize with them.

Yang cheered loudly when one of the men won over the heart of a train attendant, convincing him to join their escapade in robbery and essentially elope with him; another reason this show would likely never make the circuit in Atlas. Qrow whistled when the two men kissed, causing Ruby to giggle again.

Finally, the end credits rolled across the screen. Ruby popped to her feet, nearly knocking over the blanket fort.

"Another!"

Qrow glanced at the time, shrugging.

"Alright, one more. But Tai's gonna be salty if I let you guys stay up all night."

"Pssh, what he doesn't know won't hurt him," Yang yawned, waving a hand. "Sides, we're like, adults now."

Qrow laughed, a raspy chuckle.

"You've learned well, kiddo."

"I have an excellent teacher," Yang shot finger guns at her uncle.

Ruby suddenly started collecting their plates, surprising everyone. Her partner gave her a bright smile as she took the plate from her hands, dashing into the kitchen; Weiss shook her head in bewilderment. Ruby never remembered to put up her dishes at Beacon.

After she returned, they decided on another film, Yang and Ruby arguing passionately over which movie they should watch until eventually an accord was reached. The next show was a science fiction film, about a woman trying to survive on an alien planet and unable to use her Semblance or aura due to some vague reason.

Weiss could feel herself nodding off halfway through it, before realizing Ruby had already passed out, leaning on her shoulder. She considered waking her up and telling her she should go to bed; but eventually decided she wasn't hurting anything where she was. That, and Ruby was admittedly very cute when she was sleeping. An odd observance to be sure, but a true one.

Weiss dozed off herself at some point, waking with a start to Yang gently shaking her shoulder.

"Hey, wakey wakey Weiss-capades," Yang whispered.

"Mmm I am awake," Weiss protested.

"Uh huh, sure. Movie's over," Yang smiled. "Bedtime."

Weiss muttered under breath, sitting up. Ruby slumped over into her lap, completely comatose. Weiss felt her face heat up immensely, meeting Yang's eyes as her teammate smirked at her. Embarrassed for some reason, Weiss tapped Ruby's shoulder.

"Ruby."

"Nnng dolphin hats."

"Ruby, wake up."

Ruby grumbled, slumping into her lap fully and pulling Weiss's arm around her. Yang grinned at Weiss, chuckling.

"You know what? You've got this."

Weiss sputtered.

"What, no! Yang, help me," Weiss whispered.

"Nope. I believe in you," Yang winked, standing. Qrow was asleep on the sofa, snoring softly. "Nighty night, ice princess."

"But! Hey!"

Yang escaped the confines of the blanket fort, chuckling the whole time; Weiss could hear her footsteps on the stairs as she walked away. Weiss gaped after her traitorous teammate, unsure as to why she was so upset. All she had to do was wake Ruby up, something she'd done a dozen times at Beacon. However, her partner had never been asleep in her lap before; and for whatever reason, the idea was making her feel quite guilty. Especially considering how happy Ruby looked.

_How does one look so happy in their sleep?_

Weiss looked up at the quiet living room, feeling lost. She didn't want to be rude, considering this wasn't her house. Qrow snorted in his sleep, rolling over on the sofa. She had never seen someone sleep on a sofa; it was such a strange thing to realize, she almost giggled. She truly must be tired.

She glanced back down at Ruby. Her partner was mumbling again, clutching her arm as she snuggled against her. Weiss was strangely tempted to run her fingers through Ruby's short hair, and shook the thought from her head. Huffing, she leaned back against the pillows, trying to figure out a solution to her dilemma. In the end, she simply fell asleep herself.


	3. Chapter 3

Holiday

Chapter 3

She woke slowly, pulling herself from a dream that had left her oddly breathless. The fragments of the dream scattered as consciousness took hold, and Weiss groaned, squinting at her surroundings in confusion. She was not in a bed.

Blinking the sleep from her eyes, she glanced about, realizing that she had fallen asleep in the blanket fort. Early morning sunlight was creeping through a window, illuminating the starry patterns of the tented sheet overhead. A puff of warmth on her leg caught her attention, and she looked down.

Ruby was curled up beside her, no longer in her lap but coiled next to her in a bizarre heap. Her partner was still very much asleep, clearly dreaming as little twitches and expressions crossed her face; occasionally, her hands would clench, and she would mumble some incoherent phrase.

Weiss smiled slowly, shaking her head. She considered waking Ruby again, but thought better of it; it was a holiday, and this was Ruby's home. Her partner should be allowed to sleep in. Weiss however had always been an early morning person, and knew that she would not likely fall back asleep.

As quietly as she was able, Weiss stood up. Qrow was still fast asleep on the sofa, snoring occasionally. Weiss tried to imagine Winter sleeping on a sofa, and nearly scoffed at the image.

Navigating the blanket maze, Weiss made her way into the kitchen; the mess from the meal last night was scattered about carelessly. Considering they had cooked for her, Weiss thought about cleaning up the dishes, but realized that the noise would probably wake the sleepers in the living room. She could help do so later. Instead, she decided to make coffee.

Cautiously, Weiss opened the cupboards, trying to ensure they didn't squeak. Said cupboards were certainly unorganized, but eventually she located the coffee; locating the pot was much easier. As she went through the routine, having always insisted she make her own coffee despite Clyne's protests, she realized she wasn't alone in the kitchen.

Bo the pig had joined her, sitting on his haunches as he watched her bustle quietly about his home.

"Good morning," Weiss whispered, trying to keep her voice down.

Bo oinked once, before standing and walking over to the screen door.

"Do you want outside?"

He grunted, tossing his head. She wasn't certain he was aloud outside; however, he nudged the door, grunting insistently.

"Alright, alright, here," Weiss said, opening the door. "There you go."

Bo trotted across the porch and down the steps, snuffling the shrubbery. Weiss determined she should keep an eye on him at least, and pouring herself a cup followed after him.

It couldn't be later than six thirty, at most. Birds were chirping despite the time of year, singing cheerfully in the forest. Weiss took a bracing sip, sighing in relief, before leaning against the railing overlooking the yard. The air was so clean. Atlas always smelled like industry and the Dust mines, even in the nicer districts.

However, Patch was practically pristine wilderness compared to Atlas and Vale. She hummed as she took another drought, the scalding liquid burning pleasantly. She could appreciate not being in a city for once, surrounded by constant noise and people. Other than the birds, it was utterly quiet and a slight mist hung over the grounds. Bo rooted around in the grass in front of the porch.

Weiss hummed, pleased. A fluttering shadow caught her attention and she turned to the left; a large, dark bird had landed on the railing nearby, eying her. She studied the creature as it preened, its head twisting to follow the pig in the yard.

"Hello," she said after a minute. The bird turned her way, watching her with sharp crimson eyes. Weiss wondered if this was another member of Ruby's menagerie, or simply a wild animal with no fear of people.

The bird fluffed its feathers against the chilly morning air, beak turning as it studied the forest. Weiss took another sip of coffee studying its movements. There weren't very many birds in Atlas, other than seagulls and the silly penguins that populated the glaciers and icebergs.

It croaked after a moment, before flying away, disappearing into the trees. Smiling, Weiss pushed gently off the railing and headed back for the door. Bo took this as his cue to come back inside as well, trotting up the steps to follow her inside before running ahead of her towards the blanket fort. The pig disappeared beneath the sheets, grunting persistently when he located Ruby.

"Mrrg nooo, I'm sleep. Sleepin."

Bo oinked stubbornly.

"Nnn. Bad piggy."

Weiss smiled, pouring herself more coffee and some for her partner; she located the sugar and distributed far more than was necessary into the beverage, essentially creating coffee flavored syrup. Navigating the blankets, Weiss found her partner still curled up on the cushions; Bo had sat down across from her, grunting insistently. At this point, she may as well wake Ruby up; or at least convince her to move to her own bed. She would get a neck cramp at that angle.

Ruby had pulled her hood down, whining. Weiss rolled her eyes, setting her own cup on the floor. Ruby's nose twitched. A silver eye opened, peering up at her. Ruby smiled suddenly.

"Good morning, Weiss!" Ruby continued to lay stretched out on the floor, peering around. "Oh, did I fall asleep in the living room?"

She technically fell asleep in Weiss's lap, and trapped her there as well; but Weiss decided to not mention that.

"Yes, dolt," Weiss said without any real heat, handing Ruby her cup of sugar. "Here, I made coffee."

"Aww, thanks!" Ruby popped up. Their fingers brushed as Ruby took the cup with both hands; Weiss felt her face heat up, becoming strangely flustered once more. She turned for her own beverage, taking a long drink.

"Ahh. Yeh, that's good. Thank you!" Ruby beamed. The hood of her strawberry onesie flopped down over her bangs and her partner giggled.

"You're welcome," Weiss said after a moment. "Um. I was hoping to take a shower at some point-"

"Oh! Yea, no problem, we have a bath upstairs!"

Ruby hopped up, reaching out to pet Bo, before leading the way from the blanket fort. The rest of the morning was spent without any semblance of order or routine that Weiss was accustomed to. At Beacon, they had a schedule to keep to, and at the Schnee manor, Weiss's days were practically accounted for down to the hour. However, the Xiao Long/Rose residence was apparently free form chaos at all times.

Yang got up surprisingly early, but instead of going to work-out or help Ruby and Weiss make sense of the mess in the kitchen, she set to playing video games and facetiming Blake on her scroll. Qrow did not wake up until well past ten, rolling off the sofa with a groan and trudging into the downstairs shower as Yang and Ruby tossed pillows at him and shouted like hooligans.

Ruby did her best to help Weiss put the dishes away, but in the end made things nearly more stressful when she made a disorganized heap in the cabinets; in the end, Weiss chased her away and set to organizing it herself. Ruby remained in the kitchen, watching her guiltily until she started tossing grapes into the living room for her sister to catch with her mouth as she played games.

Bo had his breakfast on the porch; Ruby would actually put some kitchen ware outside for him to help clean, which Weiss was absolutely horrified by despite it being practical. When he was done with them, Weiss put them in the sink with bleach.

Eventually, Yang got dressed to go get Blake from the airship; Mr. Xiao Long had his own ride, apparently. Ruby and Weiss had finished the dishes, showered, and changed. Weiss hadn't brought too many things to wear, and Ruby insisted that she could wear some of her own as they were near the same size; Weiss had been particularly skeptical of this, but relented when Ruby handed her a simple t-shirt and jeans. Weiss couldn't remember ever having worn jeans in her life, but accepted the garments graciously.

Noon came and went. Ruby made sandwiches for everyone, showcasing their many, many ingredients to Weiss to pick from. She would probably have gone through the entire refrigerator, lifting each item out triumphantly until Weiss picked something.

As the partner's at their lunch, the sound of twin engines rumbling outside caused Ruby to leap up in excitement, dashing away in a cloud of red petals; Weiss and Bo followed after her.

Yang and Blake pulled into the shed, Blake pressed closely against her partner. Behind them, Mr. Xiao Long's own bike, a more classic model built for comfort over speed rumbled loudly. It had a side car, carrying what appeared to be a corgi.

"DAAAAAD-"

Ruby crashed into her father, a friendly, tan blonde who immediately scooped Ruby up and held her over his shoulder as he laughed.

"Hey hey, there's my little hunter!" he exclaimed, turning the ignition off. He continued to carry Ruby in one arm, who was laughing joyfully. "How was your first Semester?"

"Great! I love it – Oh, that's Weiss!" Ruby pointed at her, legs kicking in the air.

"Oh yea?" he smiled warmly. "Nice to meet you, Weiss! I'm 'dad'."

"Noo, no dad jokes yet-"

"Yes dad jokes, I haven't had a chance to make them; I have a quota, I need to catch up," he laughed. "You can call me Tai though, Weiss."

"It's a pleasure," Weiss nodded primly.

Yang and Blake joined them, Blake smiling softly at Ruby's enthusiastic greeting.

"Hi Blake! I'm so happy you could make it!"

"Me too," Blake said. "Hey Weiss."

Weiss smiled at her teammate; she was glad that things weren't still awkward between them, after the events with the White Fang. That, and the fact that Blake was secretly a faunus didn't bother her anymore; Weiss had had to sit and think long and hard about her own beliefs, where they came from, and who she wanted to be as a person. Being prejudiced towards others based solely on their species was not an aspect she wanted to embody. It would take time and effort to weed out her father's hateful doctrine, and until she did, Weiss had requested that Blake point things out to her if she was behaving as such. Blake had graciously agreed.

"Let's go in!" declared Yang. "I gotta show you my action figures-"

"You have action figures?" Blake smirked, trailing after her partner.

"Yes!"

"I didn't think you were such a nerd."

"…Yes! I'm like, a half-nerd," Yang chuckled.

"Party animal by day, comic book geek by night?" Blake asked.

"Totally!"

"She likes super-heroes!" Ruby declared. "Dad, put me down, I gotta be a good hostess-"

"Waaa, I thought I'd just carry you around like this all day," Taiyang laughed, tickling her ribs.

Ruby giggled, kicking her feet frantically.

"No, nono, no tickling!"

Weiss smiled as the family trooped into the house, still babbling and laughing together. It truly was nothing like her own household. A part of her wondered if this was what most families were like, and if hers was the one that was bizarre? Or perhaps normalcy was completely relative? Regardless, it was turning out to be the start of a surprisingly pleasant winter break.


	4. Chapter 4

Holiday

Chapter 4

That afternoon passed in a happy, silly blur. Zwei and Bo zipped around the house, playing with one another as the family caught up. Mr. Xiao Long was apparently a part-time teacher at Signal; as was, surprisingly, Qrow. Weiss had yet to deduce how the two men were related, as they looked and acted nothing alike; however their banter was certainly amusing, and clearly born of familiarity.

Team RWBY recounted their escapades at Beacon for them, Ruby and Yang focusing on the more dramatic aspects and exaggerating details; Blake and Weiss fell into the habit of correcting their partners when they got too carried away with themselves.

Mr. Xiao Long asked about their studies, which Ruby was very quick to point out that Weiss had the best grades out of all of them; she also informed him that Tournament Dueling 101 with Professor Goodwitch was her favorite class, because she got to see everyone's weapons in action.

"And this one girl has a rocket launcher that's also a hammer named Magnhild- her names Nora, she's really fun – and she just whollops Grimm and people with it!" Ruby exclaimed, gesturing enthusiastically. "She said she'd let me calibrate it for her, too! I can't wait, I've been wondering how she can hit things without setting off her explosive rounds!"

"Don't they still teach Weapons Mechanics?" asked Qrow, lounging with them in the blanket fort. "That was, what was that, I thought it was a first year class? I coulda swore we took that…"

Taiyang shook his head as he took a seat on the sofa.

"No no, remember, it was an elective. And they've been looking for a decent instructor; but after Arc, they've had a hell of a time finding someone competent enough to keep on the payroll," sighed Mr. Xiao Long. "I know a few people at Signal who would be up for it, but they're all comfortable where they're at."

"Arc?" chirped Ruby. "Hey we know a guy named Arc!"

"Yea, Weiss definitely knows a guy named Arc," laughed Yang.

Yang and Blake were seated across from one another on the floor, playing a rather complex looking board game that Yang was currently winning. Blake was studying her pieces and cards with a thoughtful expression, her bow flicking with the movement of her cat ears.

Weiss scoffed, tossing her head.

"I know that he's a pain, is what," she huffed.

Qrow chuckled, waving his hand.

"Ahhh yes. Professor Arc."

Taiyang snorted, shaking his head.

"She was an instructor during our time at Beacon," Mr. Xiao Long said. "She taught Tournament Dueling, all the mechanics classes…and she absolutely hated us."

"No she didn't! She loved us!" Qrow chuckled. "She was just. Ya know. Feisty."

"You just had a crush on her is all-"

"How dare you," Qrow drawled. "I would have married that woman."

"Yea right, you wouldn't marry anyone," laughed Tai.

"She was the exception."

"Uh huh, sure," Mr. Xiao Long shook his head. "She was a great teacher though. If they could find someone half as competent as her to replace her, you guys would be in good hands."

The idea of competency and the name 'Arc' did not belong in the same sentence, at least in her opinion. Perhaps they weren't related?

"So, were you guys on the same team or something?" asked Blake as she made a move. Yang watched her placement carefully, nose scrunching as Blake attacked her pieces.

"Hm? Yea, we're partners," said Qrow casually. "But anyways, they should definitely bring back the mechanics classes. Useful stuff to know."

"I would love that," Ruby sighed dreamily.

Weiss's own partner was seated next to her uncle, kicking her feet as she leaned back on her hands. Weiss wondered briefly if Ruby and she would still be as close as apparently Tai and Qrow when they were that age; to her surprise, she really hoped that was the case.

"Well, we have…History? With Professor Oobleck," offered Yang as she proceeded to wreck Blake's strategy once again, a smug grin on her face. "He's interesting."

"He's something alright," smirked Blake, recovering from Yang's move and killing off several of her pieces. Yang gaped at her partner in mock outrage.

"Hahaha! Barty's teaching, I keep forgetting that!" laughed Qrow. "Oooh man. Can you kids even understand a thing he says?"

"Sure!" chirped Ruby.

"Nope," said Yang.

"Same," agreed Blake.

"I try," Weiss confessed. "He's quite…verbose."

Taiyang laughed, patting the sofa so Zwei would join him. The corgi leapt to join him, panting joyfully.

"Ah, Barty. He's a good guy."

"He's a coke-head is what-"

"No he isn't! Don't tell them things like that!" protested Tai.

"Whaaat? They know I'm kidding."

Yang sniggered, tapping a card and drawing several from her deck as Blake squinted suspiciously at her. Ruby kept making silly faces at Zwei. Taiyang grumbled on the sofa, scratching Zwei's head; the corgi's little foot kicked adorably. Weiss briefly wondered if she could somehow get away with stealing him.

"Ya'll had any detentions yet?" asked Qrow after a moment, grinning roguishly at them.

"Noooooo," said Ruby, eyes widening. Weiss scoffed immediately. As if  _she_  would ever get sent to detention.

"Somehow, no," smirked Blake.

Yang suddenly swept the field of Blake's pieces, holding her card up in triumph. Blake gaped before sighing in defeat. The faunus knocked over Yang's pieces before pouting humorously; Blake rarely pouted, but could be competitive during board games. Which naturally, Yang thought was great fun to tease her about.

"Yea, we've managed to keep out of detention so far," said Yang, shrugging as she grinned at her partner. "I dunno how, I was always in detention at Signal-"

"Yea, I know," scowled Taiyang, folding his arms. "Trust me. Do you know how many times your instructors had to pull me aside?"

"Oh don't start, Tai," laughed Qrow, rolling over to look at his partner. "I remember our first semester at Beacon!"

"Ooh! Story!" yelped Ruby, kicking her feet excitedly. "Story, story, story-"

Mr. Xiao Long sighed long-sufferingly as his partner laughed.

"Ok Rubes," Qrow smirked. "So, this one time, there was this real nasty dude named Frankie. And he thought it was cool to harass people and just be a dick in general-"

"Sounds like Cardin," quipped Blake, still sulking at her defeat.

"Who?" asked Mr. Xiao Long.

"A dumb bully," waved Yang. "He's a total worm. Anyways, go on Uncle Qrow."

"So yea, let's just say Frankie picked the wrong people to mess with," chuckled Qrow. "This one day at breakfast, he came up to our table and was trying to insult your mom, Rubes."

Ruby gasped.

"How dare!"

"Exactly. But he didn't know who he was messin with. Because Tai," Qrow squinted at his partner playfully. "And my sis were just like, no, screw you. And they jumped him right there in the cafeteria. So naturally, I had I to join in; and we beat his butt, before getting in looots of trouble."

Weiss felt her eyebrows raising at the tale; Yang hesitated, before laughing in approval. Mr. Xiao Long sputtered in protest, Zwei leaping down as he leaned forward.

"Listen! He was saying some  _really_ awful things, we couldn't just let him-"

"You don't have to tell me, I was there!" cackled Qrow.

"Sooo, next time Cardin's a punk, we should beat his butt?" asked Yang, winking at Blake. Blake blushed slightly, smiling as she glanced off.

"But, we, no girls! You can't just do as we did," protested Tai, waving his hands. "We shouldn't have done that-"

"You kiddin? That was one of the best things we ever did!" laughed Qrow, tearing up.

"Qrow, no! It, I was a hothead, man, I shouldn't have done that!"

"Dad, you were a hothead?" teased Yang. "I can't see it, sorry."

"Oh your dad was totally a hothead! And a total dork, lemme tell you-"

"Nope!" exclaimed Tai, "Nope, nope! We can't set a bad example, Qrow, honestly!"

Qrow was laughing, a full belly laugh that was sending Ruby into joyous giggles that Weiss couldn't help but smile at.

"We're a great example!"

"No! Nono, you don't pick fights in the cafeteria-"

"That's where I picked, like, half my fights!"

"Exactly! We were always in detention because you!"

"No we weren't! It was a collaborative effort!"

The two men continued to bicker as RWBY giggled at them, smiling at one another. Weiss found it strangely relieving, to hear the stories of people who had gone before them; Winter had attended Atlas Academy, which was an extremely different environment from Beacon. It was nice to know that other people, who had gone on to live their own lives and have their own careers, could empathize.

Weiss smiled at her partner, who was gigging riotously at her family member's stories. Briefly, she wished that she could have such moments herself with her own family, before brushing the thought aside; Yang was still teasing Blake, who was pretending to ignore her partner as she watched the rest of the Xiao Long household joke and laugh.

It wasn't the first time that Weiss noted that the two partners would make an excellent couple, as Yang flopped over and tried to get Blake's attention. Weiss shook the thought from her head; such things weren't her business.

"Anyways," drawled Qrow after a pause. "I'm glad you girls are enjoying yourselves. You're gonna love it."

"Especially once the Vytal Festival comes into town," agreed Taiyang. "Vytal fest is a real experience."

"Oooh yea, I'm so excited!" exclaimed Ruby, sitting up.

Weiss was genuinely excited about the opportunity herself. The amount of work that went into organizing such an endeavor was spectacular; representatives from every Kingdom, and even Menagerie, attended a Vytal Tournament. Every Hunter academy on Remnant participated, and even trained their students to compete. It was the pinnacle of achievement for humans and faunus alike, on a global scale. Weiss could speak for hours on the subject, though most audiences weren't as enthusiastic as she was.

"Man, what year was it that we went?" wondered Qrow, scratching his stubble.

"Too long ago," admitted Tai.

"It's almost a shame that it's here this year. Otherwise you girls would get to go to another Kingdom to compete," said Qrow. "That's an experience in itself."

"True, but we'll get to interact with other competitors," gushed Weiss before she could stop herself. "And their ambassadors, if we wanted to. Personally, I want to meet the ambassadors from Vacuo. I've heard so much about them. Considering how disorganized Shade and Vacuo is, the fact that they can wrangle together everything is remarkable."

That and RWBY might not have been selected to attend the festival elsewhere. RWBY was one of the topped ranked teams in Beacon, but not necessarily the best in tournament fighting. The last time she had checked, they were third among the freshmen classes; and tenth in Beacon overall.

"Ey, I've met at least one of them," chuckled Qrow. "She's pretty nice."

"And I keep forgetting you're a Schnee," said Tai, glancing at her. "You would know about all that."

Weiss blushed somewhat, suddenly awkward. No one on her team made too much of a deal about her background, and after her first few weeks, Weiss had grown accustomed to the lack of recognition; most people in Vale were blissfully unaware of where their Dust supplies came from. Unlike Atlas, where the Schnee name was practically royalty. The lack of recognition had almost become soothing; she didn't always have to worry about what she said, or did, or who saw her do what. She was free.

"Um, I don't know ALL about it," Weiss admitted. "Only-"

"Only literally everything," teased Blake, shooting her an amused look.

"No! Just, I like the mechanics behind it," Weiss mumbled. "Organizing that many different hunters, from every corner of Remnant? So much planning goes into it, I find it nearly…artistic."

Ruby smiled brightly at her; Weiss felt a warm fluttering in her chest at the sight, her cheeks still heated from the attention.

"I feel the same way about weapons!" her partner said, beaming. "It's art!"

Weiss hummed in appreciation.

"It IS art. Do you know how Vacuo gets the resources to send people to the other side of Remnant every time the festival is held in Mistral? It isn't Dust or any of their other exports, it is sheep wool and durian! They save all the income they make off those items as a country wide scale!"

"But neither of those things are native to Vacuo, are they?" asked Blake, her head cocking.

"No, they aren't! But they import them!" Weiss laughed. "To an extravagant degree! They love rugs, and they love durian, so much so that every few years they can send Shade hunters across the globe to compete! They even have laws implemented to enforce it."

Considering Vacuo had nearly no laws to begin with, it was remarkable.

"Pssh. That's not art. That's like, science," protested Yang, waving a hand.

"Same thing!" exclaimed Ruby.

"Nuh uh."

"It is!"

"NO, it isn't-"

The siblings continued to bicker, as Weiss and Blake shared exasperated eye-rolls. Sometimes, you just couldn't win.


	5. Chapter 5

Holiday

Chapter 5

Her first week at the Xiao Long household was one of the best weeks she had honestly ever had, particularly considering the season. The Schnee family only celebrated the season in the public eye, attending balls, parties and fundraisers as was expected of them; Winter had particularly hated the winter holidays.

Their father had always expected her sister to put on the biggest show of the siblings, smile at the most stockholders and business colleagues, kiss the most babies as it were. He wanted Winter to be charming, social, dainty; clever but not too clever, talented but not a threat to him.

However, that wasn't who Winter was as a person; and her sister had rebelled against those demands as fiercely as she was able. The storm wrought by Winter and their father battling during the holidays had always created an atmosphere so tense one could have cut it with Myrtenaster.

Weiss had dreaded the season's approach every year, until finally Winter escaped into the Academy. Then Weiss had taken Winter's place as the family mascot. It hadn't exactly been pleasant to bear that mantle.

Yet her teammate's abode was likely the complete opposite of the Schnee manor, and the majority of Weiss's acquaintances in Atlas. There was not a hint of family politics or showboating to be found here, that was for certain. There was a routine, if one could consider it such, that Weiss took note of.

Each morning, either she or Blake were the first awake in the household. Weiss would typically make coffee, then go sit on the porch to enjoy the scenery and fresh air. Blake might follow her outside to make conversation, read or go do yoga in the backyard.

The faunus enjoyed her quiet time as much as Weiss did, and would take advantage of the early morning to recharge from whatever silliness they had engaged in the day before. The rustic home was quite serene, for that first hour or so. Sometimes, wildlife would rustle in the bushes or trees; once, Weiss even heard a fox barking in the woods. She had always wanted to see a fox in person.

Then Ruby would wake up and all forms of peacefulness quickly evaporated. One always knew Ruby was awake because of the immediate stampede on the staircase, as their team-leader blurred down the stairs, followed by Bo and Zwei; Ruby typically burst outside to join them as she fed the animals, pestering Weiss and Blake with a bombardment of questions and conversation. Then she'd launch enthusiastically into whatever caught her interest first.

Sometimes, it was tinkering with Crescent Rose in the shed. Other times, it was video games, or attempting to wake Yang up; such attempts usually ended in something very loud, either giggling or irritable shouting as the brawler tried to sleep.

Her partner seemed to take joy in whatever task she set about, something that Weiss had original deemed to be nearly idiotic; something simple could bring Ruby so much happiness, that Weiss had mistakenly believed must mean that the younger girl was simple herself. However, she had come to believe that Ruby wasn't simple at all; she was simple in love with being alive. It was a trait she was coming to appreciate in her partner very much.

Qrow was hit or miss, in terms of wakefulness. Occasionally, he was up before even her, already on the porch or making breakfast. Other times, he slept until the afternoon; typically on the sofa, though he had a hammock on the porch as well despite the chill.

Weiss had quickly noted that Qrow was surely as much of an alcoholic as her own mother; he had hidden stashes, and a tendency to 'sneak drink' when he thought no one was looking. Mr. Xiao Long would get frustrated looks on his face whenever his partner had hit the sauce a little heavy, indicating a long, weary argument over the man's drinking that he was choosing not to engage in for the moment; he likely didn't want to cause a scene in front of his girls.

Despite the man's rather uncouth nature and air of roguishness, Weiss found that she actually enjoyed him. He clearly loved Ruby and Yang dearly, and one morning had even passionately debated with Blake about a book series that the faunus adored. Qrow was also a very experienced huntsman, and would go into long tales of his exploits whenever Ruby prodded him, which was frequent. Ruby seemed to idolize her uncle, having designed Crescent Rose after his own strangely nameless weapon.

Mr. Xiao Long, who continuously tried to get her to call him Tai, was typically the last person awake; but once he was, he always had something planned to do. Frequently, he would get Yang to practice sparring with him in their backyard, which they all spectated in awe as both martial artists danced around one another with equal parts ferocity and grace. Other times, he would try to coral the team into some outing he had come up with, such as a trip to town or even fishing at a lake. Regardless, Mr. Xiao Long was always moving.

He was also more mature than his partner in some aspects, taking a more authoritarian and protective role with Ruby and Yang than Qrow. However, by Weiss's family's standards, he was practically bohemian; he could also come across as being a bit more naïve than Qrow on certain topics.

Yang and Tai would occasionally get into arguments, or at least what Weiss had thought were arguments; one moment they would be bantering back and forth with one another, the next butting heads and raising their voices, before going back to laughing. In the Schnee household, raised voices were very dangerous. With Yang and Tai, Weiss eventually deduced that they were not actually angry, but just enjoyed being loud for some reason. They seemed to think it was fun.

Despite the seeming chaos and like of propriety, however, the household was in its own way extremely refreshing from what she was accustomed to. Weiss had decided after several days, that she was glad she had chosen to spend her time here.

So it was that Weiss had woken up earlier that morning than she did typically. The sun had yet to rise, however she felt quite rested and decided to go ahead and get up. She wanted to practice her glyphs at some point before everyone was awake anyways.

After making her coffee, Weiss stepped quietly out onto the porch with a blanket over her shoulders, her breath fogging the air. The gray light of early morning was the only illumination. With a pleased hum, Weiss took a seat in the rocking chair.

She sat there undisturbed for quite some time, before a fluttering shadow landed on the railing to her left. The bird from the other day looked down at her, tilting its head. Weiss smiled at it as she took a sip of coffee.

"Hello again."

The bird croaked, tilting its head. More movement caught her attention; Qrow, still in his pajamas, was for whatever reason sneaking up behind the bird from behind, tiptoeing around the house. Weiss raised an eyebrow in confusion, as Qrow winked at her before lifting an air-horn behind the hapless animal. He squeezed the trigger, and an obnoxiously loud trumpet sounded.

"Get fucked," he laughed as the bird squawked in surprise, shooting into the air.

Weiss gaped at him as he laughed almost manically.

"No trash-pigeons on the porch!" he shouted. The poor bird flapped overhead, squawking in outrage; it swooped down at his head to peck at him once before flying off into the trees.

"Why did you do that?" exclaimed Weiss. "That was so mean-"

"Nah, she's fine," Qrow laughed again, climbing over the railing.

Weiss shook her head at the bizarre, likely intoxicated hunter. Qrow was still chuckling to himself, as Weiss huffed and finished her coffee. So much for the morning quiet then.

"Mornin," he grinned, flopping into his hammock.

"Good morning," Weiss grumbled.

"You're up early, eh?" he sighed, rocking the hammock. The ropes creaked as he swung.

"I typically am," Weiss said. "Are you always so harsh to wildlife?"

"Nah. Just her," he chuckled again. "What you got planned for today?"

Weiss set her cup down on the wooden side table between the rocking chairs.

"Nothing, as far as I am aware."

"Well, I've heard that Rubes has something in the works," Qrow said, smirking.

Weiss raised her eyebrows cautiously. Ruby plans could be…interesting.

"And that would be?"

"Hm, well if I tell, ya gotta act really surprised ok?" he drawled. In the forest, an owl hooted eerily.

"I can manage that," Weiss smiled. She was an excellent actor.

"Rubes wants to go horseback ridin," Qrow said after a minute, hands behind his messy hair as he rocked.

"Really?!" Weiss exclaimed, before flushing and whispering. "Really?"

Qrow chuckled again.

"Yea, she ah, heard you like horses I think. And she's always wanted to try. She's scared of motorcycles, though, is the funny thing."

"Horses are nothing like motorcycles," Weiss sniffed. Though she had come to appreciate that motorcycles had their own appeal. "That should be fun. I think she'll really like that."

"Me too," grinned Qrow. The older hunter was studying her with a sly look in his eyes that reminded Weiss briefly of Coco Adel.

"So you and Ruby had a bit of a rocky start, yea?" he asked after a moment.

Weiss appraised him carefully, uncertain as to his angle.

"I suppose," she admitted. "I can be a bit…difficult, to get along with initially. And I wasn't sure what to make of her."

To her surprise, Qrow laughed again, a rough but genuine sound.

"Ahhh. Life's funny," he said after a moment. "It really does just…go in circles."

Weiss studied the older hunter as he lounged carelessly. She got the feeling in that moment that he was a good actor too.

"I like you, Weiss. I'm glad you two are getting along."

Weiss blinked at the admission, uncertain.

"I'm glad we're getting along too," she admitted. "You really care about her, don't you?"

She surprised herself with that question; however, it was too late to take it back. Qrow rocked in his hammock, turning his head to smile at her.

"I do. She's a good kid. Yang too."

Weiss nodded. He seemed nearly melancholy, despite the smile.

"Can you promise a dusty old crow something?" he asked.

"I can try," she replied.

"Take care of her?"

"Of course," she said immediately.

Qrow hummed, nodding as he relaxed in his hammock. They didn't really speak much after that, simply taking in the morning as the sun slowly rose.


	6. Chapter 6

 

Holiday

Chapter 6

That morning, the household was awakened with much ado, by no less than a stampeding combination of Ruby, Bo and Zwei. Weiss and Qrow watched these festivities with no small amount of humor as the rest of the late sleepers were ousted from their beds.

Ruby was terribly excited, having awoken shortly after Weiss and Qrow had come in from the porch. Her partner refused to tell anyone, including Weiss, what precisely she had planned. She just kept dancing on her toes, exclaiming near unintelligible phrases as Zwei and Bo trotted after her.

Qrow merely shrugged and winked at Weiss as he shuffled off to make breakfast for the others. Weiss, after putting on clothing that was inconspicuously appropriate for riding, assisted him while the others were essentially dragged from their beds.

Blake was a good sport about the manner of the wake up, sleepily coming down stairs and accepting the tea that Weiss had made for her. The faunus curled up on the couch, watching with bemusement as Ruby was loudly defeated by her sister's refusal to be moved from bed. In the end, Mr. Xiao Long had to be enlisted to wake up Yang, laughingly carrying his stubborn child downstairs like a baby before depositing her on the couch besides her partner.

Lo and behold, Yang woke up immediately in the presence of Blake, popping up to stretch casually and intentionally show off her abs. Weiss sipped her coffee in the kitchen, studying Blake's reaction; her ears, which she had been displaying for the past several days whenever they were in the cabin, twitched. Which ultimately, could mean anything; but Weiss was not fooled whatsoever.

The heiress took a long sip of coffee, surreptitiously studying her teammates over the chipped mug clasped in her fingers. In Atlas, everything in the Kingdom was about power. Power, power, power: it was the air you breathed, the bread you ate, it was all you craved.

Every person was intensely aware of their social status, of how others perceived them, of how they could manipulate those perceptions to go up another rung. Everything came back to that dance, that battle to climb up, up, up; including romance and flirting. Weiss understood the science of chivalry, of courtship, as well as she understood the mechanics of Dust.

As a Schnee and the heir to the most powerful company in all of Atlas, Weiss knew that she would also have to dance that dance to preserve her own power and freedom; every compliment was a deflected saber strike, every kissed knuckle another bruise, a lingering hug a dangerous grapple. She would not be some young Atlassian scion's conquest. She would not end up like her mother, drinking her wine and searching for oblivion at the bottom of a bottle.

So yes, Weiss was very aware of the currents of attraction and which way they swayed in other people, mostly so that she could calculate how best to avoid their attentions without being obvious about it. However, watching such a current develop between her own teammates had become a fascinating study for her over the past several weeks.

One of the first things Weiss had noticed about Yang, besides her hair and her ability to walk through a crowd as if she was the most magnificent person there, was her flirtatiousness. Some of it was intentional, but the majority was completely uncalculated. It had originally caught Weiss off guard.

Yang was not like the beauties of Atlas, whose sexuality and appearance were just another resource to utilize. Her charisma was as much a wildfire as she was during a fight: unpredictable, potent, dangerous. Weiss found it intriguing to watch Blake not only come to that same realization, but embrace it anyways. Because Blake was an even more cautious person than Weiss herself when it came to forming connections with others.

The faunus had sensed her stare. Amber flicked up swiftly to meet her own eyes; Weiss smiled, trying to be disarming, but she could tell that Blake was not fooled. Blake squinted suspiciously at Weiss before smirking and shoving Yang over, who had been in the midst of stretching luxuriously once again. Yang pouted, and her teammates shared a laugh at the blonde's misfortune.

After half an hour at most, the Xiao Long household and company were enthusiastically escorted out of the cabin and behind the shed; there crouched the oldest, most grizzly vehicle Weiss had ever seen in her life. It was rusted, scarred and pocked, with multiple weaponry pods and addons carved into its shell. Ruby and Yang whooped with delight, hopping into the back to fight over the best spot. Weiss was certain there was not, in fact, a best spot; they all looked equally barbaric.

However, whether it was due to an absurd sense of partner solidarity, or some other mysterious force, Weiss found herself compelled to climb in the back with her two ruffians to sit besides them. She wasn't certain who was more shocked: herself or them. She scoffed at the looks on their faces, tossing her hair imperiously.

Ruby was over her surprise almost immediately, happily scooting over next to Weiss while babbling about how this was 'a surprise', but she would love it. Her partner was dressed in a simple hoodie and skirt, hair still tussled from her morning of sprinting wildly about the house.

Ruby never had to try to be pretty; she simply popped up in the morning and it was so. It was a characteristic that Weiss was coming to appreciate, instead of being a little bit peeved. Weiss could spend hours getting ready and still never be completely satisfied.

She smiled genuinely, trying to ignore the warmth of Ruby and her red hoodie as she practically cuddled up to her in the morning chill. Her own heartbeat sped up at the proximity. Ruby smelled like roses, obviously, but also mint and something sweet, perhaps almonds.

As Weiss meditated on maintaining perfect poise in the face of potentially embarrassing herself beyond redemption, Yang continued to shoot her smug little glances; at least until Blake strolled out of the house. Then, of course, nothing else could keep her attention.

The faunus moved languidly up to the truck, thoughtfully drinking her morning tea and inspecting the passenger door. Yang deflated slightly, incapable of hiding her disappointment as she was incapable of hiding anything; yet, Weiss had once more spotted the little smirk on Blake's face as the faunus sipped from her thermos.

They shared a brief, conspiratorial look, before Blake slinked around the truck and climbed in the back as well. Yang brightened immediately, offering Blake her spot; Blake settled for sitting next to her partner, who was naturally pleased by this outcome.

"Alright, ya'll hang on to something!" Qrow proclaimed, starting the devil truck up. The beast coughed, shook, and growled to life before the huntsman took off down the gravel road. Ruby and Yang whooped again, practically hanging over the sides of the truck-bed as they drove far too quickly down the driveway.

Mr. Xiao Long led the way down Patch's back roads on his own motorcycle, Zwei and Bo both riding in the passenger car with their own helmets and goggles. The two men would race one another with the road was wide enough.

Occasionally, Mr. Xiao Long would utilize his Semblance to cheat, tossing down items that burst open into portals and jumped him ahead of his partner. Qrow would floor the accelerator to catch up, and the girls would be treated to the equivalent of sitting on top of a dysfunctional dryer.

"Whooooo go faster, Uncle Qrow! Don't let him get away!" Ruby laughed, her hair whipping in every direction. Weiss and Blake shared skeptical looks.

"Should I floor it?!" Qrow shouted.

"YES!" laughed Yang, standing up, mane blazing behind her like a comet tail.

"Can this thing handle that?" Weiss asked, her voice whipped away by the wind. Ruby heard her anyways, turning to look at her with an immense grin.

"Trust us!"

Weiss scoffed again, folding her arms. She obviously wouldn't be in this absurd contraption with these dolts if she didn't. Then there was a deep, grinding rumbling, before the sides of the truck opened to reveal two small Dust boosters. Blake crouched in the bed, grabbing onto the rope handholds that now made sense as to their placement. Weiss and Ruby swiftly followed suit.

"3! 2! 1!" Yang shouted. "Liftoff!"

The Dust boosters flared to life, and Weiss instinctively channeled aura into her fingers and arms as the truck took off. Yang and Ruby were hooting and laughing madly as they gained ground on their father's motorcycle, the truck kicking up an immense cloud of white dust behind it.

Weiss found herself questioning her life choices as she clung to the rope for dear life, wishing she had brought myrtenaster. The nearly airborne vehicle eventually began to slow, blasting past the motorcycle that had scooted over to make way, before cutting the boosters; it was still at least a full minute before it had reached a reasonable speed once more.

Ruby and Yang were laughing so hard they were nearly crying, Yang slapping the roof of the truck and Ruby exclaiming they should do it again. Blake and Weiss shared glances again, before chuckling themselves; it was possibly more due to relief than anything else, though Weiss had to admit, it had been exhilarating.

Mr. Xiao Long pulled up besides them once again as the road widened, laughing over the rumble of his bike.

"Yea, that's what you get! You big cheater!" Ruby blew a raspberry at her father.

Weiss tried to envision herself blowing a raspberry at her own father, and found that she could not. Yang's and Ruby's interactions with their father was probably the most surreal thing about her holiday so far.

"Oh I'm the cheater huh?!" Tai called. "Tell that to family game night!"

"You impinge upon my honor!" Ruby declared, pointing at him. "I do not cheat!"

"Do so!" Yang laughed, still standing in the truck bed.

"NO, you!"

"Nuh uh!"

"You are the cheaters, conspiring against me!"

"I blame Qrow!" Tai shouted, pulling back as the road narrowed once again. "He taught you bad habits!"

"You leave Uncle Qrow out of this! He is an innocent!"

Qrow flipped his partner off, before extending his palm; Ruby slapped it, before settling down again next to Weiss.

"Frickin blonde allegiance out here," Ruby muttered darkly. "Gotta do what you gotta do to win at anything."

Weiss stared at her, before giggling behind her hand. Ruby glanced at her before smiling nervously.

"Haha, what?"

"The streets of Patch are rough, are they?" Blake droned, eyes glittering with humor.

"Super rough," Ruby giggled. "Gotta hide your snacks, gotta hide your toys, and you gotta hide your cards in your sleeves."

"I'm telling," Yang laughed.

"You have no evidence," Ruby declared, pointing her index finger. "I was just joking."

"Oh yea?" Yang glanced down. "I guess you're right. C'mere a sec."

"No noogies! Weiss, help me!"

Ruby dove behind Weiss, covering her head with her hands. Weiss, who typically would have never involved herself in such childish antics, stared up at Yang. The brawler's lavender eyes were alive with laughter.

"Begone, brute," Weiss waved her hand languidly.

Yang's eyebrows raised at her imperious dismissal. Blake started chuckling again, eyes squinting as she attempted to contain her laughter.

"Who are you-" Yang started.

"There will be no 'noogies' in my presence. They are crass, and the very concept offends me," Weiss continued facetiously, pressing a hand delicately to her chest.

"Oh they do, huh? Do you want one, too, to help get over your delicate sensibilities?"

"Psh, only if you wish to obtain permanent frostbite, you absolute Boarbatusk," Weiss scoffed.

"I'm sorry, but have you seen this?" Yang gestured to all of herself. "Yea? Your pretty little snowflakes can't touch this."

Weiss narrowed her eyes, channeling as many generations of Schnee contempt as she was physically capable of; she tilted her head and smiled sardonically.

"Aww. You think my pretty little snowflakes would want to. That's very sad."

Blake fell over, laughing behind her hand as Yang gaped in outrage; Ruby bounced up, pointing at her sister.

"Ooh burn! That was a burn! Get burned, scrub!"

"Blake! Blake, hey! Why are you on their side?! Hey!"

Blake had actual tears in her eyes from laughter; Weiss managed to prevent herself from tossing her ponytail. Victory was sweet.

Suddenly, Ruby, who had been belly laughing besides her, hiccupped; red petals exploded in every direction, prompting a startled silence before more laughter. The friends continued in their silliness all the way to the farm, trailing rose petals the entire time.


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Notes: I've decided that Patch the island and town draws a lot of inspiration and similarities from southern France and its villages

Holiday

Chapter 7

The farm rested near Patch's lime cliffs, snuggled onto a beautiful little plateau that was apparently covered in wildflowers and herbs during the summer and spring. There was a gorgeous view of the ocean as well; one could spy the ring of smaller, pale islets beyond the break water. Weiss fell in love with the cobbled farmhouse and fields the instant she climbed out of the bed of Qrow's beat up truck.

Blake seemed similarly smitten with the view, her mouth parting as her bow twitched. Briefly, Weiss wished that Blake had left the bow at the cabin, before chiding herself. That was hardly her call to make.

However, over the last several days, she had grown accustomed to seeing her teammate without it. While at times Weiss had found herself observing the faunus, it wasn't with a feeling of malice or cold judgement; instead, she was merely appreciative.

Then the morning contemplation was dismissed, as the more exuberant half of team RWBY bolted towards the farmhouse. The monochrome portion exchanged amused looks before trailing after their partners. Ruby beat Yang to the door, trailing petals still, before knocking rapidly.

The door swung inwards, and there stood a woman of middle height, with bright, lavender eyes and shoulder length, wavy gray hair. She was wearing a flowery set of overalls; her rolled back flannel sleeves revealed dozens of tattoos.

In fact, even her neck was decorated with delicate, violet and green patterns. Weiss realized that she had never in her life seen a woman over fifty with so many tattoos; or a nose ring, for that matter. The woman smiled, eyes crinkling at the edges in a manner identical to Taiyang.

"Ni-ni!" Ruby yelped and darted forwards, wrapping her arms around the woman's waist.

'Ni-ni' beamed sweetly, before scooping Ruby up in a crushing embrace.

"Oooh my little muffin! Look at you!"

"Hahaha! I missed you!"

"I missed you, too! Yang, wow! Look at how tall you are!"

Yang looked up at the sky, hand over her brow.

"Huh. Yea I guess I must be-"

"Oh come here, smartass," Ni-ni chuckled, pulling Yang into the hug as well. The two managed to somehow not crush Ruby, who was protesting squeakily between them.

After not crushing Ruby, Ni-ni met Weiss's too polite Schnee smile.

"Hi there! I'm Florence, or Flo. Or Ni-ni. You two must be Ruby and Yang's partners!"

Blake scooted imperceptibly closer after this introduction, Flo having passed some unknowable test.

"Blake."

"Weiss Sch- just Weiss, actually."

She was tired of wielding her last name like Nora's hammer; it was an ugly habit, one that she wasn't entirely sure she could break from. Ruby shot her a look at her fumble, silver eyes filled with curiosity.

"Well Blake, just Weiss, it's a pleasure to meet you," Flo said, smiling playfully. "Come in, come in – where is that son of mine? What, you think you're too old to say hello to me?"

Taiyang and Qrow had approached from behind them, and apparently Taiyang did not think he was too old to say hello to his mother. The martial artist swooped forward, picking his willowy mother up in his own crushing embrace with a goofy, childish laugh.

"Hey mom!"

"Oof! You've gotten such a farmers tan! What have you been doing?"

"Ah you know. Teaching toddlers how to punch things, killing Grimm and cultivating rampant skin cancer," Taiyang chuckled.

"Oh hush," Flo swatted him. "Don't say things like that."

"Yea dad, geez," Yang ribbed him, frowning slightly.

Ruby's smile had flickered, and Weiss met her eyes again, trying to interpret the emotions there.

"Ok, ok," he set his mother down gingerly. "I'm sorry."

Weiss watched the exchange, noting that it did not end is some other cheesy joke or pun; perhaps Mr. Xiao Long had had a cancer scare in the past?

Florence fussed over her son and grandchildren before finally waving the group inside, Qrow and Blake slinking behind them like autumn leaves blown through an open door. Weiss was smitten with the inside of the house as well; its tile, cobbles and architecture had clearly been there for centuries, but it was well kempt and precious. She knew dozens of Atlassian socialites who would die to own something like this for a summer home, but was equally aware that one could not put a price on what the home possessed.

Photos and art dotted nearly every surface, without coming across as cluttered. A plant covered terrace overlooked a rocky slope that preceded the ocean below. Flo was still talking with Ruby and Yang, having invited them all into the dining room.

"Have you eaten?" Florence asked, looking at them all. There were polite noises about the room, before Ruby dove in.

"Nope! Buuut I was hoping we could after? If you don't mind?"

Her grandmother smiled affectionately.

"Of course dear," the older woman glanced up at Qrow and Taiyang. "Boys?"

Taiyang shook his head before Qrow grinned sheepishly, scratching his stubble.

"If ah…I wouldn't say no to any chocolate brownies you've got hidden around. Ya know. If it's not a big deal?"

Flo laughed, waving for him to follow after her. Qrow, who shrugged at the bemused look his partner gave him, slunk through the room almost sheepishly. Tai rolled his eyes, but was smiling regardless. Team RWBY busied themselves with looking at the paintings on the walls or the photographs.

Weiss squinted at the one to her left. It was of a blue sailboat, with a tall, brunette man in his forties showing three young people how to tie a particular knot; two of those teens were clearly Qrow and Tai. The other was a woman that Weiss did not recognize.

Before anyone could comment on her nosiness, Qrow and Flo came back into the dining room; Qrow was carrying more brownies than a man that skinny could possibly know what to do with. However, that was likely the older woman's argument after foisting them upon him. He did not look to be complaining at least.

"Ok! You guys ready?" Florence beamed.

"What exactly are we getting ready for?" Blake asked, having been investigating the paintings on the stone wall.

"Oh you didn't tell them?" Flo asked, squinting at her family. Ruby beamed and wiggled where she was sitting on a barstool.

"Not yet! It's a surprise!" their team leader chirped, unrepentant.

Yang shrugged, trying to look innocent; it was a valiant attempt, but the slight smirk tugging her lips ruined the effort. Blake gave her partner a dry stare.

"I see," grandma Flo chuckled. "Well you all seem dressed well enough, so let's go!"

Ruby hopped off her barstool, took Weiss's hand, and nearly hauled her out the front door in her excitement. Weiss made her customary princess noises, as was tradition; but they lacked heat and barbs in general. It was difficult to think when Ruby held her hand lately, as if all of Weiss's tact and mental machinations had stalled out and refused to start up again; she'd turn the key a few times, and her brain would cough and shrug at her.

However, Weiss regained her dignity and her words once they had rounded the farmhouse and spotted the hidden field cradled between the cliffs. Several animals, mostly horses, were already waiting by the gate; they started nickering insistently once they spotted Florence, who laughed lightly.

"Oh you would think the big babies were starving to death," she shook her head. "Don't let them fool you! They eat twice a day, and already had breakfast."

Weiss studied the animals as they approached the gate, noting it was as diverse a lot as one could hope for. However, the two gelding Frisians caught her attention instantly. They were at least seventeen hands, with inky manes, tails and feathering. One had a milk-blue eye, indicating that he was blind in it.

Then there was the donkey, a palomino saddlehorse who was dancing energetically about the gate, tossing her head, and an actual llama. Weiss stared at the llama, who was chewing and glaring at the intrusion into its domain balefully.

"After Gare and I finished our world tour, we decided to settle down in Patch again. But we get stir crazy easily, so we adopted some rescues to keep busy," Flo explained. "And they've been a lot of fun! But sometimes I fear they don't get as much exercise as they need. We're both getting old, and Garnet still works part time, and I can get caught up with clients. Sometimes we get kids from town to ride them when we don't have time. Mostly Abigail, who as you can see, is always just so full of energy."

She nodded at the palomino, who has having a conniption at this point. Weiss hummed in thought. An animal that energetic and intelligent likely needed a sport or job to keep her content.

"But Ruby said that you love riding, Weiss?" Florence smiled at her. Weiss's eyebrows rose briefly, but she recovered with a nod.

"I do," Weiss smiled. Ruby was beaming again, looking very proud of herself.

"Well, if you would like, we can saddle somebody up. And if any of you would like to ride, we have plenty of tack," Flo offered sweetly. "And plenty of space. There are a lot of good trails in the area too, and practically no Grimm – not that that would stop a couple of huntresses."

"Heck yea, Ni-ni," Yang grinned. "Can I ride the llama?"

Flo gave her blonde granddaughter a mischievous look.

"Oh I don't know. Maybe? Bob is…something else."

"Bob's a jerk is what she means," Taiyang glared at the llama. Bob glared back, ears flat. The hate was genuinely palpable.

"Now that was your fault. I warned you," Flo hummed. "And you, as usual, didn't listen."

RWBY looked at Taiyang curiously, who was still caught in a death-stare with Bob the llama.

"Bob doesn't like boys. I don't know why," Florence chuckled. "He will not tolerate a guy anywhere near him, and he will barely tolerate anyone else. But he is immensely loyal to Cranberry the donkey. They were rescued together see? So if you get her saddled and take her out, he will follow."

"Dibs on donkey!" Ruby declared, sprinting towards the tack shed.

Yang laughed, and nearly dashed after her, before looking at Blake. Blake was eying the Frisians with interest, who had both stuck their noses over the fence to investigate her. The faunus was smiling, holding her palm out calmly.

"Blake? You um. You want to ride one?"

Blake hesitated, before glancing back at her partner with a half-smile that may as well have been a grin.

"I'd love to."

"Cool, me too," Yang shrugged, so casual it was ridiculous.

Weiss rolled her eyes affectionately at her teammates, before striding after her own partner.

Abigail was relatively easy to saddle, despite her eagerness to go. The palomino practically tossed the gear on for her, lowering her head for the bit instead of lifting her muzzle out reach or causing a fuss. Weiss spoke to her gently, adjusting the straps and buckles as necessary, while assisting her teammates.

Yang was riding without a saddle or even a bridle, while Ruby had laid a blanket on Cranberry, Bob sullenly standing guard to ensure his friend was in no way marred. The llama seemed tolerant of Ruby, who had bribed him and Cranberry with sugar cubes. Anyone else, however, he bared his teeth at and practically hissed, save Florence. Weiss deemed it best if she kept her distance.

Blake had chosen the Frisian with one eye, whose name was Odin. The faunus was a natural in the saddle, sitting as if she had been born to do so. Weiss checked her tack before giving the all clear, which Blake tolerated graciously.

After working out all the kinks, the team was unleashed upon the island. Abigail was clearly in need of a good sprint, so Weiss charged ahead, heading for the field. The palomino tossed her head eagerly, her gate smooth as they practically flew over the ground. Weiss smiled, feeling her tension and worries slip away.

This had been her escape as a child and adolescent, where there was no one and nothing to tell her how to behave, how to think, what to say. There was wind, there was thunder, and there was freedom. Propriety and politics be damned.

Weiss and Abigail tore across the fields, reaching the rode that led back towards the cabin before turning and sprinting back towards the others once again. Ruby and her odd posse were laughingly trotting after her, Cranberry leading Bob, Bo and Zwei on some sort of grand adventure.

She whooped as Weiss galloped past her again, cheering her on excitedly. Weiss wondered if this was how Ruby felt whenever she used her Semblance; if so, it was no wonder the girl dashed everywhere.

As they reached the end of the field once again, Weiss swerved Abigail around Yang and Blake, who were taking their time; Yang took this as a direct challenge to her honor and spurred her mount to chase after her. Weiss let Yang catch up, before waving daintily and taking off on her much faster mount.

Weiss was well ahead of Yang, a bubble of laughter escaping as she heard Yang shouting in protest, when a familiar red streak dashed past herself and Abigail; the palomino fortunately did not spook, though she did squeal indignantly. Ruby and Cranberry charged ahead, trailing rose petals as Ruby shamelessly cheated with her Semblance.

Weiss, Yang and Blake gathered in the field, giggling as Ruby let off the gas and let a disgruntled Bob catch up to her and Cranberry. There was a brief pause, before Blake, in a fit of impishness, took off on Odin; Yang and Weiss shared looks before laughingly giving chase to the faunus.

Team RWBY spent the rest of the morning racing, exploring the various trails that led up to the lime cliff, and being chased by a literal menagerie. At one point, they even turned their silliness into a bizarre game of tag, arguing over who the winner was as they cooled down their mounts. That day would go on to become one of Weiss's favorite memories.


	8. Chapter 8

Music Choice: Desperate Youth by Seagraves, and First Time (feat. Dylan Matthew) by Seven Lions – Acoustic

Holiday

Chapter 8

The rest of their break passed far too quickly. Typically, Weiss was always eager to get back to her studies after a holiday. Her tutors understandably preferred to enjoy the festivities with their own families, and were legally protected in doing doing so. It was, frankly, brutal.

However, two weeks of showboating at at Schnee manor and two weeks on Patch did not progress at the same rate; before, Weiss would have been pestering Clyne to get her instructors to come back early and rescue her from her fate. Now, Weiss did not want to believe that today was the last day before they had to catch the ferry back.

There was a lot waiting for them back at Beacon, too. Weiss had noticed that Blake had become ever more Blake-ish as the holiday neared its end, staring off out of windows or falling into brooding silences as she lost herself to thought. They still didn't know what the White Fang was planning in Vale, after-all; and while Blake had not mentioned her previous associates the entire time they'd been there, it was apparent that she was still thinking about them.

That morning, Weiss woke early as ever, determined to make the best of her last day. Yet as she made her way quietly downstairs, she realized that she was not the first or even second person to get up. Ruby and Blake were sitting outside on the porch, looking at a book in Ruby's hands. Weiss considered letting them have their privacy, yet some invisible force tugged within her, and she found herself pushing the screen door open.

It was still dark, the grey morning light barely illuminating Ruby and Blake as they sat besides each other. They both looked back at the same time, however, Blake's eyes flashing luminously. Ruby's own silver caught the light as well. Weiss hesitated again, suddenly nervous. An outsider once more; an apology was on her lips before she could stop it.

"I'm…I'm sorry. Do you two want anything?" she tried to recover.

Ruby smiled warmly, trying to put her at ease.

"It's ok! I was just showing Blake some photos," Ruby scooted over to make room on the stoop. Blake smiled as well, but Weiss still felt something was off.

"Do you want to join us?" Blake tilted her head, watching her.

It wasn't an aggressive question. However Weiss could interpret Blake's body language well enough to know that there was a warning there. This was a vulnerable moment, somehow, and a lack of empathy would not be tolerated.

Weiss looked at Ruby, who was still giving that wonderfully warm smile that made her chest flutter. Weiss smiled back, moving carefully to sit besides her partner.

"Certainly."

Ruby wiggled, opening the leather book again with sudden reverence. It was a photo book, apparently.

"Cool! So, this is really special ok?"

"Ok," Weiss nodded.

"But um…Uncle Qrow gave it to me and Yang the other day at Ni-ni's," Ruby continued, silver eyes tracing over the photos. Her face still seemed so happy, but there was a delicate tremor in her voice. "Because it was my mom's. And he kept it, because well, it made dad sad to have it around I think. But now that we live at Beacon, he thought we should have it."

Weiss looked at the photos, her eyes widening slightly. She was aware that Blake was watching her. The photographs were of a variety of people and places, but they often possessed a group of people that she could readily identify. One of those people was nearly a carbon copy of Ruby herself; if Ruby had white, fluffy wolf ears.

Oh.

Summer Rose, Ruby's biological mother, was a faunus apparently; meaning that Ruby herself was, as Weiss's father so indelicately put it, a 'half-breed'. Weiss processed this rapidly while studying the photos of Ruby and Yang's family.

There was a buzz in the back of her mind, as a variety of feelings and thoughts fought ferociously for dominance; most of those thoughts Weiss was coming to realize had never really been her own, but alien strings of hate and belief that had wormed their way into her mind at her father's insistence. This knowledge, that these feelings were intruders and not her own creations, helped her own logic, emotions and values to win out in the end.

Jacques Schnee hated so called hybrids even more than he hated the faunus themselves; he believed they were a perversion of the natural order, disgusting, the embodiment of everything that was trying to destroy his generation's idea of a perfect Atlassian society. Faunus he could at least understand, but a union between a human and a faunus was beyond his comprehension. He considered it little better than bestiality or some similar perversion. He was hardly the only person who thought that way, either.

Hybrid's didn't even have protected rights against discrimination in most Kingdoms, as they weren't considered a legitimate minority. They were quite rare, though whether that was due to genetic issues between the species or due to social stigma, Weiss couldn't say. These were things she had always been vaguely aware of; but now, it was all so much more real.

Weiss exhaled softly and met her partner's eyes. There was a lot there, a sudden vulnerability that was typically hidden away by sweet, awkward humor and stubborn optimism. Weiss hesitated, before moving closer and smiling at the photos.

Screw Jacques 'Schnee'.

"Tell me more about her."

Ruby beamed, inching closer to Weiss as she started to describe her mother and the photographs. Blake leaned in as well, the nearly invisible wall that she had been projecting evaporating now that Weiss had passed the test. Ruby would turn the pages, as if handling a sacred item, and exclaim over some new discovery.

Weiss realized that most of these pictures were things that Ruby had never seen herself, and that she was sharing this moment of discovery deliberately with her; despite knowing the risk of doing so. In fact, Ruby hadn't even hesitated. It very nearly made her eyes water.

They sat there looking through Summer's photographs as the sun rose, occasionally reading the notes on the back. Weiss noticed that Ruby's fingers had begun to tremble, and that the smile on her face was growing more fragile. A tear ran down her face.

Emotions, particularly grief and vulnerability, had always been met with disdain in the Schnee household. At best, it was embarrassing. At worst, well, it preceded pain.

Weiss had never seen Ruby cry before, and was coming to suspect that perhaps her partner hid her own suffering for different yet similar reasons. She was always smiling, always trying to cheer up the people around her; but Weiss had deduced that Ruby had a well of grief that went deeper than perhaps anyone else she knew.

Weiss pulled Ruby into a hug, feeling distinctly self-conscious; she knew she wasn't a comforting person, even on her best days. Her mouth often ran away with her, full of barbs and cold observations; and her haughty attitude pushed away even the most stubborn admirers. Yet despite her chilly awkwardness, and generally being a failure at cultivating any sort of intimacy, Weiss could only be grateful; because Ruby hugged her back, pressing her face into her shoulder as she cried a little louder.

She met Blake's gaze over Ruby's dark head; Weiss wasn't sure what she saw there. Yet whatever it was passed as Blake suddenly hugged them both with surprising ferocity.

The friends held their leader as she sniffled. Ruby didn't cry long, or even all that loudly. She just sounded like some small, injured thing; it broke Weiss's heart to hear it. After a few minutes though, Ruby pulled back, smiling plasticly through the tears.

"I'm sorry, guys."

"Don't apologize for feeling things, you dolt," Weiss insisted, very hypocritically.

Blake nodded, swallowing; her eyes were misty, too.

"But today is our last day, and I shouldn't be all mopey-" Ruby started.

"Shush," Blake hugged them tighter, ears flattening.

"But-"

"Nope."

"I-"

"Stop it."

Ruby pouted through her tears.

"You're allowed to be sad," Blake persisted. "It's ok to feel sad."

"But it sucks," Ruby muttered.

"Yes. But it sucks more to not feel sad when you really need to," Blake continued. "Trust me."

Ruby nodded, wiping at her eyes. They fell into silence for a several moments, Ruby clutching the photo book, Weiss and Blake trying to comfort her with their presence. Finally, Ruby smiled at them; a natural smile, not a forced one.

"Thanks, guys. I just…I really miss her, ya know?"

Weiss and Blake nodded. Ruby wiped at her face with her sleeve again, secured the album in her hoodie pocket, before standing and offering her hands to pull them both to their feet.

"Let's get waffles," Ruby nodded, still stuffy. "Waffles make everything better."

Weiss, having been given an action that could help her partner feel better, pounced on the idea immediately.

"Excellent. I'll make them," Weiss declared.

"Aaand I'll help with the whip cream," Blake smirked.

Weiss narrowed her eyes at Blake suspiciously.

"…don't eat it all," Weiss warned.

"What?" Blake scoffed in a very good imitation of her. "I would never! Just because I'm a cat faunus doesn't mean that I like milk products-"

"Oh that is just the biggest load of crap I've ever heard," Weiss rolled her eyes. "Between you and Yang, you could clear out an entire grocery full of whip cream."

Blake hesitated, eyes flicking off to the side, before meeting Weiss's stare innocently. Weiss raised an eyebrow, certain as to where exactly Blake's mind had gone. Blake smiled, all pretense of innocence evaporating. Ruby giggled at them from the living room.

Weiss rolled her eyes, setting about finding a bowl for the waffle mix. Blake read too many 'romance novels'. Not that Weiss ever snuck a peek at one when her roommates were not around; or several.

Blake at least did not eat all the whip cream; it seemed that Taiyang was wise enough to keep several containers in the freezer, hidden behind the vegetables. The faunus brought one of the tubs to Ruby to snack on, before returning to assist Weiss. They found a tub of strawberries, Blake cutting them expertly as Weiss heated the waffle iron.

Perhaps it was the scent of food, or some other mysterious force, but Yang managed to wake up before mid-morning for once. The brawler made her way downstairs, barefoot, wearing pajamas as she yawned loudly to announce her presence.

She spotted Weiss and Blake in the kitchen, before spotting Ruby on the sofa, covered in a blanket as she ate frozen whip cream. Sister instincts apparently kicked in, because the blonde flopped onto the sofa with Ruby, playfully squishing her.

"Oof! Man this pillow sure is uncomfortable," Yang declared.

"Geroff me you big, lumpy potato!" Ruby protested, protecting her snack.

"Huh? I must be on one of Zwei's chew toys! I hear something squeaky!"

"Iwillfightyou-why is your butt so heavy!?"

"Hahaha!"

"Yang, stop crushing Ruby with your derriere," Weiss scolded, stacking waffles with a variety of sugary options and strawberries. A bite of this and Weiss would be jittery all day; but this is what Ruby liked. It wasn't like she wouldn't work it off anyways.

"But ice queen, I don't have any mineral water."

Before Weiss could get into her stride, Blake went to Ruby's rescue, distracting Yang instantly by offering her a tub of whip cream and her presence. Yang was much more interested in Blake than the confection, but tore into it with abandon anyways.

After making more than enough waffles for the household, Weiss brought some of the food in; Ruby scooted over to make room for her, and Weiss squeezed in between Ruby and Blake. Yang merrily turned on the television as she and Blake shared waffles and whip cream, practically cuddling on the cramped sofa.

Ruby gave Weiss a soft smile, one which Weiss returned, gallantly attempting to ignore her traitorous pulse. Her partner turned back to the television, leaning against Weiss as she held her plate. Weiss felt her neck heat up; she tried to blame the room temperature.

As she looked up, she spotted the black and gold portion of her team giving her very mischievous looks. She glared at them, as was proper. It had no effect. She rolled her eyes and went back to watching television with Ruby.

"Heeey Weiss?"

Weiss glanced over her shoulder at Yang.

"Yes?"

"…You got a fever or something? You're really red," Yang smiled innocently. Yang can not smile innocently.

Weiss stared coldly at the blonde.

"It's warm. I'm pale. Do I need to draw a graph for you?"

Blake raised her eyebrows, biting back a chuckle.

"Ooh a graph? Do you need crayons?" Yang offered.

"Certainly, so long as you haven't chewed on all of them. I know you like the flavor."

Blake moved her hand, pinching Yang before she could say something else; Yang settled for shrugging, giving her a shit eating grin that knew far too much. Ruby had been watching them all, a confused look on her face.

"Weiss, do I need to move?" Ruby asked a moment. "Would you like a water or something?"

"No thank you, I'm fine," Weiss insisted valiantly.

She was not fine. She was, in fact, slowly imploding. In fact, Weiss was coming to a very unfortunate realization, all thanks to the grinning, unrepentant brute with whom she was sharing a sofa.

Oh.

Weiss was excellent at spotting the currents of attraction in other people, but apparently not herself; because it had never actually been an issue before. Not until this very moment.

Oh no.

* * *

 

Author's Notes: And that's all for this one, folks. Thanks for reading and commenting.


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